The Hub Karen Mall, has rolled out a new service that will see customers pay to park on the go via M-Pesa as part of its drive to enhance the customer experience at the mall.
The service, which is a partnership between the Karen-based mall and tech firms Safaricom and Paytech, eliminates the need for customers to queue at the pay station.
“This is an innovative service and a first of its kind that leverages technology to enhance the experience of our clients,” said Philippe Cauviere, the Chief Operations Officer of Azalea Holdings, the developers of the mall.
The service links a customer’s car number plate with the chip coin they receive at the entrance gate. Customers dial the USSD code *270# from any place in the mall, follow 4 basic steps and pay for their parking via M-Pesa. Once completed, an SMS notification is sent to the customer confirming the payment and the total parking time available before the next top up, or exit.
“We are giving our consumers an extra convenience such that at the tail end of your coffee date, you can pay for your parking from the restaurant and head straight to your car without having to queue at the pay station,” added Mr Cauviere.
The Hub Karen plans to incorporate other payment systems including partnerships with other mobile money service providers as well as credit cards.
“It is our goal to ensure that we offer our customers a world-class, hassle free shopping experience at the mall. We are continuously seeking innovative solutions to enhance their experience,” added Mr Cauviere.
The Hub Karen features secure parking bays with a capacity to hold over 1,200 vehicles. This innovative solution is a welcome addition to the mall’s infrastructure.
Beside this new technology, the mall recently announced plans to install a 450 Kilowatt solar energy system as part of its going green initiatives. Azalea Holdings projects that the mall will cut its CO2 emissions by 525.18 tonnes per year by going big on solar power.
Related: Safaricom new service enables wrist band payment through M-Pesa
The Hub Karen, a 35,000sqm gross area (excluding parking), featuring retail outlets, offices, medical, and a wellness centre opened in February 2016. Since its opening, The Hub Karen has enjoyed a foot-fall of over 4.2 million shoppers.
The lifestyle destination mall features more than 1,300 eatery seats and 85 shopping stores hosting local and international retailers. Some of the brands in the mall include French retail giant Carrefour, Furniture Palace, Funscapes, F&F fashion, Bossini, Adidas, Reebok, Burger King, Dominos, KFC, Artcaffe and Ocean Basket as well as LC Waikiki and Woolworths, the two of which are scheduled to open in October 2017.
The lifestyle destination for work, play and leisure is part of businessman Humphrey Kariuki’s investment portfolio.
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